The terrifying incident left them feeling unsafe in their own home, a court heard
A menacing troublemaker who left a couple terrified after repeatedly pointing and firing a crossbow at their windows faces another delay in being sentenced after further investigations were ordered. Andrew Woollen left the man and his girlfriend feeling unsafe in their home after they suffered a “terrifying ordeal” at his hands.
He was a so-called long-time friend but he suddenly started firing a fearsome crossbow at the windows of their home late at night and completely out of the blue. He later made the “bizarre” claim that he had been “hypnotised” into using the crossbow during the frightening incident, Hull Crown Court heard.
Woollen, 51, of Perth Street, off Chanterlands Avenue, Hull, had earlier been found unfit to stand trial on charges of attempted murder, possessing a crossbow as an offensive weapon, having a lock knife in public and causing criminal damage to the couple’s home by firing the crossbow on October 7.
The court had, at a previous hearing, been told that Woollen was “not well enough to be here” and a jury was asked to decide in his absence whether he committed the acts involved in the charges. The jury decided that he had done so.
At a resumed hearing after a series of later adjournments, the court was told that a hospital order was likely to be made on Woollen but sentence was again delayed because two psychiatrists would need to make updated assessments on him. He was already receiving treatment, the court heard. The case was adjourned until October 1.
Claire Holmes, prosecuting, told the earlier hearing that Woollen took a crossbow and a lock knife to the area outside a house in Hull where two supposed friends of his lived. At about 10.40pm, one of them was asleep in bed when he was woken by his girlfriend, who told him that someone seemed to be throwing things at a window.
The man went to the bedroom bay window and opened it to look outside. He saw someone kneeling down in the shadows between his car and that of his neighbour. He thought that it might have been his neighbour and shouted out to ask if it was him.
“There wasn’t any response,” said Miss Holmes. “When the person stood up, he saw that it was someone he recognised. He knew him very well.”
The man recognised him as Woollen. They had known each other for 30 years but he had not seen much of him in recent years. Their girlfriends had also previously known each other.
The man told his girlfriend: “It’s Andrew Woollen.” He shouted to Woollen: “What the f*** are you doing?” He realised that the bangs to the window, along with the sounds of breaking glass, were from a crossbow being fired.
His head was sticking out of the window. Woollen fired the crossbow and it was very fortunate that the man was not hit. The shots hit the window and the householder moved quickly away from it and went downstairs but he could hear the sound of breaking glass as he called 999.
His girlfriend was “cowering” behind the sofa. “After this terrifying ordeal, they still no longer feel safe in the home where they have lived for 17 years,” said Miss Holmes.
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The neighbour also called 999 after his wife alerted him that someone was acting strangely outside. He looked out of his window and saw a bald-headed man with some sort of weapon.
“He realised it was a crossbow,” said Miss Holmes. He saw the man – Woollen – lift the weapon and fire it at his neighbour’s window. “After he fired it, he heard a thud,” said Miss Holmes.
He saw Woollen cross the road to reload the crossbow before entering the front garden and fire the crossbow at the downstairs window. Another man, on his way back from Hull Fair, was about 10 metres away when he saw Woollen load the crossbow and pull the string back with both hands. He heard a “twang” and the smashing of glass.
Police attended the scene and Woollen dropped the crossbow when he was told to do so. Officers found the lock knife when Woollen was searched. He acted in a “bizarre” way after he was arrested and he told police: “She has hypnotised me.”